The Park Princess, which may well be Washington D.C.'s ugliest condo (prove us wrong), has been dethroned. Not by a less appealing condominium (though some developers are trying hard), but by owners, who no longer felt the name suited the association, and have rechristened the building at 13th and
N Streets "Logan Park", its original name circa 1981.
After several years of wrangling, the condo association has voted internally for the change and navigated city bureaucracy to facilitate the new nomenclature, as if whiting out its inglorious presence with the branding of its now hip neighborhood. The association is also in the midst of a modest renovation of the condo's common areas and elevators, though the exterior will remain, alas, unchanged.
The old name "just wasn't appealing" said Jordan Stuart, a real estate agent who lives in the building. "No one knows who the princess was." Stuart doesn't support the building's aesthetic superlative ("there are plenty of Foggy Bottom condos that are uglier"), but isn't heedless of its reputation "we do recognize the curb appeal issue," said Stuart, who 
adds that the building has positive attributes (from the inside). "You have to appreciate the roofdeck." As Parisians say of the Eiffel Tower, it offers the best views in the city, principally because its the only place in Paris where you can't see the tower. Washington D.C. real estate news
9 comments:
DC's ugliest Condo is the Concord at 1816 New Hampshire: www.goo.gl/cdjtJ
& goo.gl/Tqo99
Especially given how nice its neighbors look.
Well, we stand corrected.
nah, i'm going to go with ken's choice here. looks like a spaceship landed on top of "the princess"
Hmm..it is quite ugly.
But for some reason I really like it.
It seems to present itself well.
Almost like its proud of its ugliness.
I used to live in the Concord, a typically ugly '60s building. The Princess is really a special kind of ugly.
Yep, I think this one deserves the title of ugliest condo.
Ah, I'm going to miss the name though. I always kind of liked the dichotomy of the image versus reality when it came to the "Princess."
I've always regarded it as the ugliest building in DC. Even the Dunbar High School building, which I classify as high-security prison architecture, couldn't compete. Alas, Logan Park will live on long after the demise of the Dunbar building.
The comment about it being proud of its ugliness is apt. Part of the reason it looks so bad is that it just perches there on the corner, with no softening lawn or garden. If there are street box trees, they are dwarfed by it's towering drabness. There is just no way to ignore it.
The residents have tried, though. They removed the cutesy maroon awnings over the ground floor entrance units at few buildings.
If they could replace the 70s brassy elements at street level and find some way to clean the dulled (already muted) brick, it might help. Here's wishing them luck in making the most of it.
Logan Park does fit better . . . good on them for the name change.
Let's keep our eyes on the prize here: location, location, location.
We are currently working to improve the aesthetic from the inside out and the roof deck is one of the best views of the city!
Some call it ugly, others call it character. I like this Arthur Cotton Moore building that received an honorable mention in "Washington's Best Addresses" and glad they reverted to the original name.
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